Tag: nelle

How popular is the baby name Nelle in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Find out using the graph below! Plus, see baby names similar to Nelle and check out all the blog posts that mention the name Nelle.

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Popularity of the Baby Name Nelle

Number of Babies Named Nelle

Posts that Mention the Name Nelle

A reader named Lisa is expecting her second daughter a couple of weeks and needs some name assistance. Her first daughter is Copeland Rhine. Lisa’s main predicament is this:

[H]ow do I find a strong unique vintage name for this second precious girlie that will not wilt next to a strong name like Copeland Rhine?

And here are some other questions and points Lisa brought up:

“Our goal is not to have their names competing for placement but complimenting each other.”

“We do not want to be boxed in on unisex or surname first names.”

“I have been gravitating towards Sojourner Bliss or Sojourner Mercy (Sophie for short) but that is all I have and my husband is not sold on it nor on a stronger masculine name.”

“My husband really loves Evangeline yet he is not wanting to use it because it is becoming so popular. We both love the idea of Evie as a nickname.”

“I really want to honor three people in my family but all three would not wish their name on anyone: Leona, Gertrude and Lorraine. Are there any derived names that I could use?” [Other family names she mentioned are Cornelia, Josephine, Ester, Rosemary, Carmelita, Trinia (Trijntje), Johannes, Sophia, Evelientje, Alice (called Ollie), Francis, Felicia and Blanche.]

The baby’s surname will be a 2-syllable name that starts with D and also includes a z-sound. It’s somewhat similar to De Souza.

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So the challenge is to find “strong unique vintage” names that work with Copeland, but that won’t lock Lisa’s family into surnames or unisex names. And to try to get a family connection in there as well.

I think Evangeline is a great idea, actually. It’s strong, vintage, and neither a surname nor a unisex name. And both Lisa and her husband like the nickname Evie. Seems like the only thing holding them back is the popularity.

Yes, Evangeline has become slightly popular recently. It’s been back in the top 1,000 since 2006. But let’s put that into context. Over 2,000,000 baby girls were born last year, and only 735 of them were named Evangeline. That’s a very small percentage. (But if it’s really that bothersome, there’s always Evangelina, which is still well out of the top 1,000.)

I’m not a big fan of Sojourner. It’s strong, and unique, and not a surname…but it’s not feminine, and it’s not what I’d call vintage, even if Sojourner Truth was a well-known 19th-century woman. I’d worry about teasing, especially with a noun-middle like Bliss or Mercy. And I think naming a third child (of either gender) after Copeland and Sojourner would be tricky.

Sophie seems like it would be an awkward nickname for Sojourner. It’s so different from Sojourner that it strikes me as more of a cover-name than a nickname–as if Sojourner were just too strong or strange to work as an everyday name.

Leona, Gertrude and Lorraine…the most interesting way I could think of to combine them was to look for names that feature their first letters (L, G, L) such as Nigella, Allegra and Gillian.

She also mentions that the names Olivia, Catherine and Julia are off the table.

This is a curious case. Andi would like to avoid trendy names, yet many of the names she likes are very trendy right now. Ava and Chloe are in the top 10. Grace and Lily are in the top 20. Isabelle is similar to #1 name Isabella. Ellie is similar to #14 Ella. Addie and Maddie are also nicknames for #12 Addison and #7 Madison.

So the challenge will be finding a name to go with Emma and Ethan that sounds trendy, but isn’t. Here are some ideas:

Adele
Alice
Althea
Anne
Calla
Camille
Celeste
Celia
Claribel

Diane
Delia
Flora
Helen
Jane
Johanna
Josephine
Josie
Larissa

Lucia
Lydia
Mabel
Marie
Marina
Marla
Naomi
Nelle
Nicole

Opal
Ramona
Risa
Sabina
Sylvia
Talia
Thea
Theresa
Willa

Which of these do you like best with Emma and Ethan? What other names would you suggest to Andi?

A reader named Andrea is expecting her second daughter in May and she’d appreciate some name suggestions. Here’s what she writes:

My husband and I love unusual names that have a little bit of a retro feel (my first daughter is Edie). We’ve been trying to think of something fun and different but still feminine. A few we like: Camilla, Lina, Romi, Gia, Neve and Leigh.

Our 4-year-old is named Sophie. We love it because it’s cute and spunky. We initially came up with Daphne Colette for baby girl #2. But the more I think about it, the more I worry that Sophie and Daphne sound too similar. What do you think? On that note, can you think of any other names that deliver the same cute and spunky sound?

I was on the fence for a while about Sophie and Daphne…but I think I ultimately agree that they’re too much alike. As for other spunky names, how about: